Sony PCM-D50: First Look

About Video

First Look: Sony PCM-D50

2:05 /
March 27, 2008

If you're looking to make great mobile recordings without lugging around a cumbersome laptop recording rig, the Sony PCM-D50 offers an unbeatable combination of design, recording quality, battery life, and features at a justifiable price.

^M00:00:00
[ Music ]
>> Hey. I'm Donald Bell, senior editor for digital audio and mp3 and video. Today we're taking a first look at the Sony PCM-D50 audio recorder. Priced at around $600.00, you can think of the PCM-D50 as a voice recorder on steroids. It includes four gigabytes of internal memory, high-end stereo condenser microphones, a battery that can go up to 12 hours, and a recording resolution that goes up to 24 bit, 94 kilohertz WAV. So why would you need one? Well, maybe you want to make high-quality recordings of concerts,
^M00:00:34
[ Music ]
nature,
^M00:00:35
[ Frogs croaking ]
^M00:00:38
interviews,
[ Person talking ]
lectures.
^M00:00:41
[ Lecturer ]
Other fun uses for the PCM-D50 include recording baby's first words,
[ Baby crying ]
hilarious recordings of pet flatulence,
^M00:00:50
[ Flatulance ]
ghost hunting,
^M00:00:52
[ Ghost moaning ]
and the time honored tradition of gathering dirt on your enemy.
^M00:00:55
[ Camera shutter ]
There are some drawbacks to the PCM-D50 that we're not thrilled about. We're not thrilled that the internal memory caps out at only four gigabytes. Sure, there's a memory expansion port on the side, but it only accepts Sony's own Memory Stick cards. We also wish the Sony PCM-D50 could record direct to MP3 instead of only uncompressed WAV files. The PCM-D50 more than makes up for these shortcomings with cool features like articulated microphones, a recording buffer that can capture audio from five seconds before you hit the record button, digital input and output, double A battery power, and a camera stand mount. Plus, for an extra $50.00, you can buy the Sony PCM-D50 this really cool hat. Actually, this hat is a -- it's a windscreen for the microphone, which actually comes in handy when you're making outdoor recordings without getting a lot of distortion from wind noise. So if you're looking for the best all-in-one portable audio recorder for under a grand, the Sony PCM-D50 is it. Its high price is justified by great built-in microphones, brilliant design, high recording resolution, long battery life, and an excellent assortment of features. I'm Donald Bell, and that is a first look at the Sony PCM-D50.
^M00:02:03
[ Music ]